Doing Business 2015 Fact Sheet: Sub-Saharan Africa

Transcription

1 Doing Business 2015 Fact Sheet: Sub-Saharan Africa Thirty-five of 47 economies in Sub-Saharan Africa implemented at least one regulatory reform making it easier to do business in the year from June 1, 2013, to June 1, reforms in total. Benin, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d Ivoire, Senegal, and Togo are among the 10 top improvers worldwide this year the economies making the biggest improvement in business regulation over the past year. Senegal implemented regulatory reforms in six of 10 areas measured by Doing Business, while the Democratic Republic of Congo and Côte d Ivoire each did so in five areas. Since 2005, all economies in the region 1 have implemented business regulatory reforms in the areas measured by Doing Business. Rwanda implemented the largest number of reforms in the region during this period, followed by Mauritius and Sierra Leone. Mauritius has the region s highest ranking on the ease of doing business, at 28 among 189 economies worldwide followed by South Africa (43) and Rwanda (46). For the first time this year, Doing Business collected data for a second city in the 11 economies with a population of more than 100 million. In Nigeria, the report analyzes business regulations in both Lagos and Kano. Summary of 2013/14 Doing Business Reforms in Sub-Saharan Africa 2 Angola DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 181 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 180 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 41.9 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 41.7; improvement: 0.2 Benin Benin made starting a business easier by reducing the minimum capital requirement and the fees to be paid at the one-stop shop. It strengthened minority investor protections by introducing greater requirements for disclosure of related-party transactions to the board of directors and by making it possible for shareholders to inspect the documents pertaining to related-party transactions and to appoint auditors to In addition, Benin made trading across borders easier by reducing the number of documents needed for imports. Finally, it made enforcing contracts easier by creating a commercial section within its court of first instance. Areas of business regulatory reform: Starting a business, Protecting minority investors, Trading across borders, Enforcing contracts DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 151 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: Excludes South Sudan, which was added to the Doing Business sample in The DB2014 ease of doing business rank may differ from the one published in the Doing Business 2014 report. The rank is adjusted to take into account the recent changes implemented by Doing Business in the calculation of the ranking, now based on the distance to frontier score; the inclusion of data for a second city in the 11 economies with a population of more than 100 million; the changes in methodology for different indicator sets; and any revisions in the data due to corrections. The distance to frontier score shows the distance of each economy to the frontier which represents the best performance observed on each of the Doing Business indicators. The measure is normalized to range between 0 and 100, with 100 representing the frontier. The difference between the scores shown for DB2015 (2014) and DB2014 (2013) may differ from the size of the improvement reported because of rounding.

2 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 51.1 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 46.6; improvement: 4.5 Botswana DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 74 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 66 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 64.9 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 64.7; improvement: 0.1 Burkina Faso Burkina Faso strengthened minority investor protections by introducing greater requirements for DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 167 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 161 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 48.4 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 47.9; improvement: 0.5 Burundi DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 152 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 150 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 51.1 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 49.9; improvement: 1.1 Cabo Verde Cabo Verde improved its credit information system by adopting a new law providing for the establishment of credit bureaus. Areas of business regulatory reform: Getting credit (credit information) DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 122 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 118 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 57.9 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 58.0; improvement: 0.1 Cameroon Cameroon improved its credit information system by passing regulations that provide for the establishment and operation of a credit registry database. In addition, Cameroon strengthened minority investor protections by introducing greater requirements for disclosure of related-party transactions to the board of directors and by making it possible for shareholders to inspect the documents pertaining to related-party transactions and to appoint auditors to Areas of business regulatory reform: Getting credit (credit information), Protecting minority investors DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 158 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 148 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 49.9 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 50.4; improvement: 0.5 Central African Republic The Central African Republic strengthened minority investor protections by introducing greater requirements for disclosure of related-party transactions to the board of directors and by making it possible for shareholders to inspect the documents pertaining to related-party transactions and to appoint auditors to On the other hand, it made trading across borders more difficult by increasing border checks and security controls at the border post with Cameroon., Trading across borders (making it more difficult)

3 DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 187 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 186 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 34.5 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 35.2; improvement: 0.7 Chad Chad strengthened minority investor protections by introducing greater requirements for disclosure of related-party transactions to the board of directors and by making it possible for shareholders to inspect the documents pertaining to related-party transactions and to appoint auditors to conduct an inspection of such transactions. DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 185 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 185 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 37.3 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 35.6; improvement: 1.7 Comoros The Comoros strengthened minority investor protections by introducing greater requirements for DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 159 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 156 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 49.6 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 49.0; improvement: 0.5 Congo, Dem. Rep. The Democratic Republic of Congo made starting a business easier by creating a one-stop shop. And the utility in Kinshasa made getting electricity easier by reducing the number of approvals required for new connections and reducing the burden of the security deposit. In addition, the Democratic Republic of Congo improved access to credit information by establishing a credit registry. Furthermore, it strengthened minority investor protections by introducing greater requirements for disclosure of relatedparty transactions to the board of directors and by making it possible for shareholders to inspect the documents pertaining to related-party transactions and to appoint auditors to conduct an inspection of such transactions. Moreover, it made paying taxes easier for companies by simplifying corporate income tax returns and abolishing the minimum tax payable depending on a company s size. On the other hand, it increased the rate for the minimum lump-sum tax applied to annual revenue. The Democratic Republic of Congo also made dealing with construction permits more costly by increasing the building permit fee. Areas of business regulatory reform: Starting a business, Getting electricity, Getting credit (credit information), Protecting minority investors, Paying taxes, Dealing with construction permits (making it more difficult) DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 184 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 184 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 40.6 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 38.4; improvement: 2.2 Congo, Rep. The Republic of Congo strengthened minority investor protections by introducing greater requirements for In addition, it made paying taxes easier for companies by reducing the corporate income tax rate and by abolishing the tax on the rental value of business premises and the tax on company-owned cars., Paying taxes DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 178

4 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 179 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 43.3 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 41.8; improvement: 1.5 Côte d Ivoire Côte d Ivoire made starting a business easier by reducing the minimum capital requirement, lowering registration fees, and enabling the one-stop shop to publish notices of incorporation. And it made transferring property easier by digitizing its land registry system and lowering the property registration tax. In addition, Côte d Ivoire improved its credit information system by introducing regulations that govern the licensing and operation of credit bureaus. Furthermore, it strengthened minority investor protections by introducing greater requirements for disclosure of related-party transactions to the board of directors and by making it possible for shareholders to inspect the documents pertaining to related-party transactions and to appoint auditors to Finally, Côte d Ivoire made trading across borders easier by simplifying the processes for producing the inspection report and by reducing port and terminal handling charges at the port of Abidjan. Areas of business regulatory reform: Starting a business, Registering property, Getting credit (credit information), Protecting minority investors, Trading across borders DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 147 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 158 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 52.3 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 48.9; improvement: 3.4 Equatorial Guinea Equatorial Guinea strengthened minority investor protections by introducing greater requirements for DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 165 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 162 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 49.0 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 47.7; improvement: 1.3 Eritrea DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 189 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 189 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 33.2 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 32.7; improvement: 0.4 Ethiopia DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 132 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 129 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 56.3 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 55.9; improvement: 0.4 Gabon Gabon strengthened minority investor protections by introducing greater requirements for disclosure of related-party transactions to the board of directors and by making it possible for shareholders to inspect the documents pertaining to related-party transactions and to appoint auditors to conduct an inspection of such transactions. And it made paying taxes easier for companies by introducing an electronic system for filing and paying value added tax. On the other hand, Gabon made transferring property more costly by increasing the property registration tax rate., Paying taxes. Registering property (making it more difficult) DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 144 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 138

5 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 53.4 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 54.0; improvement: 0.5 Gambia, The The Gambia made starting a business easier by eliminating the requirement to pay stamp duty. And it strengthened minority investor protections by clarifying the duties of directors and providing new venues and remedies for minority shareholders seeking redress for oppressive conduct. Areas of business regulatory reform: Starting a business, Protecting minority investors DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 138 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 144 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 54.8 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 51.8; improvement: 3.1 Ghana Ghana made dealing with construction permits less time-consuming by streamlining the process to obtain a building permit. And it made trading across borders easier by upgrading infrastructure at the port of Tema. Areas of business regulatory reform: Dealing with construction permits, Trading across borders DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 70 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 69 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 65.2 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 64.4; improvement: 0.8 Guinea Guinea made registering property easier by reorganizing the records at the land registry and reducing the notary fees. In addition, it strengthened minority investor protections by introducing greater requirements for Areas of business regulatory reform: Registering property, Protecting minority investors DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 169 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 169 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 47.4 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 46.5; improvement: 0.9 Guinea-Bissau Guinea-Bissau strengthened minority investor protections by introducing greater requirements for DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 179 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 176 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 43.2 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 43.6; improvement: 0.3 Kenya Kenya improved its credit information system by passing legislation that allows the sharing of both positive and negative credit information and establishes guidelines for the treatment of historical data. However, it made dealing with construction permits more costly by increasing the building permit fees. And it made paying taxes more costly for companies by increasing employers social security contribution rate. Areas of business regulatory reform: Getting credit (credit information), Dealing with construction permits (making it more difficult), Paying taxes (making it more difficult) DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 136

6 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 137 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 55.0 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 54.6; improvement: 0.4 Lesotho DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 128 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 128 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 56.6 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 56.0; improvement: 0.7 Liberia DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 174 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 168 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 46.6 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 46.6; improvement: 0.0 Madagascar Madagascar made dealing with construction permits easier by reducing the time needed to obtain a building permit. Areas of business regulatory reform: Dealing with construction permits DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 163 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 157 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 49.3 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 48.9; improvement: 0.3 Malawi Malawi made starting a business easier by streamlining company name search and registration and by eliminating the requirement for inspection of company premises before issuance of a business license. And it reduced the time required to get electricity by engaging subcontractors to carry out external connection works. Areas of business regulatory reform: Starting a business, Getting electricity DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 164 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 163 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 49.2 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 47.2; improvement: 2.1 Mali Mali made dealing with construction permits easier by reducing the time needed to obtain a geotechnical study. In addition, it strengthened minority investor protections by introducing greater requirements for Areas of business regulatory reform: Dealing with construction permits, Protecting minority investors DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 146 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 143 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 52.6 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 52.1; improvement: 0.5 Mauritania Mauritania made starting a business easier by creating a one-stop shop and eliminating the publication requirement and the fee to obtain a tax identification number. In addition, it improved its credit information system by lowering the minimum threshold for loans to be included in the registry s database. Areas of business regulatory reform: Starting a business, Getting credit (credit information) DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 176

7 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 173 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 44.2 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 44.7; improvement: 0.5 Mauritius Mauritius made starting a business easier by reducing trade license fees. And it made enforcing contracts easier by introducing an electronic filing system for court users. Areas of business regulatory reform: Starting a business, Enforcing contracts DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 28 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 29 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 74.8 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 74.4; improvement: 0.4 Mozambique Mozambique made registering property easier by streamlining procedures at the land registry and municipality. In addition, it made resolving insolvency easier by introducing a court-supervised reorganization procedure and a mechanism for prepackaged reorganizations, by clarifying rules on the appointment and qualifications of insolvency administrators, and by strengthening creditors rights. Areas of business regulatory reform: Registering property, Resolving insolvency DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 127 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 142 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 56.9 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 52.2; improvement: 4.7 Namibia Namibia made paying taxes more complicated for companies by introducing a new vocational education and training levy. Areas of business regulatory reform: Paying taxes (making it more difficult) DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 88 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 80 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 62.8 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 63.0; improvement: 0.2 Niger Niger strengthened minority investor protections by introducing greater requirements for disclosure of related-party transactions to the board of directors and by making it possible for shareholders to inspect the documents pertaining to related-party transactions and to appoint auditors to conduct an inspection of such transactions. DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 168 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 165 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 47.6 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 46.9; improvement: 0.7 Nigeria DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 170 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 175 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 47.3 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 43.7; improvement: 3.6 Rwanda Rwanda made dealing with construction permits easier by eliminating the fee for obtaining a freehold title and by streamlining the process for obtaining an occupancy permit. And the electricity company made getting electricity less costly by eliminating several fees. In addition, Rwanda improved access to credit by establishing clear priority rules outside bankruptcy for secured creditors and establishing clear grounds

8 for relief from a stay of enforcement actions by secured creditors during reorganization procedures. On the other hand, Rwanda made starting a business more difficult by requiring companies to buy an electronic billing machine from a certified supplier though it also made the start-up process easier by launching free mandatory online registration. Areas of business regulatory reform: Dealing with construction permits, Getting electricity, Getting credit (legal rights), Starting a business (making it more difficult) DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 46 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 48 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 70.5 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 69.4; improvement: 1.1 São Tomé and Príncipe São Tomé and Príncipe made starting a business easier by eliminating the minimum capital requirement for business entities with no need to obtain a commercial license. Areas of business regulatory reform: Starting a business DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 153 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 160 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 50.8 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 48.7; improvement: 2.1 Senegal Senegal made starting a business easier by reducing the minimum capital requirement. And it made dealing with construction permits less time-consuming by reducing the time for processing building permit applications. In addition, Senegal made transferring property easier by replacing the requirement for authorization from the tax authority with a notification requirement and by creating a single step for the property transfer at the land registry. Furthermore, Senegal improved its credit information system by introducing regulations developed by the West African Economic and Monetary Union that govern the licensing and operation of credit bureaus. Moreover, the government strengthened minority investor protections by introducing greater requirements for disclosure of related-party transactions to the board of directors; by making it possible for shareholders to inspect the documents pertaining to related-party transactions and to appoint auditors to conduct an inspection of such transactions; and by making it possible for shareholder plaintiffs to request from the other party, and from witnesses, documents relevant to the subject matter of the claim during the trial. Finally, it made paying taxes easier for companies by abolishing the vehicle tax and making it possible to download the declaration forms for value added tax online. Areas of business regulatory reform: Starting a business, Dealing with construction permits, Registering property, Getting credit (credit information), Protecting minority investors, Paying taxes DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 161 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 171 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 49.4 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 46.1; improvement: 3.3 Seychelles The Seychelles made paying taxes easier for companies by reducing the business tax rate applicable to income above 1 million Seychelles rupees ($77,700) and by introducing a simplified new tax return allowing joint filing and payment of the business tax, value added tax, and corporate social responsibility tax though it also increased employers pension fund contribution rate. In addition, the Seychelles made enforcing contracts easier by establishing a commercial court, implementing and refining its case management system, introducing court-annexed mediation, and addressing scheduling conflicts within the courts. Furthermore, the Seychelles made resolving insolvency easier by introducing a reorganization procedure, provisions on the avoidance of undervalued transactions, and the possibility to request postcommencement financing during the reorganization. Areas of business regulatory reform: Paying taxes, Enforcing contracts, Resolving insolvency DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 85 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 87 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 63.2 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 62.1; improvement: 1.1

9 Sierra Leone Sierra Leone made getting electricity easier by eliminating the need for customers to submit an application letter inquiring about a new connection before submitting an application and made the process faster by improving staffing at the utility. In addition, it made registering property easier by introducing a fast-track procedure. Furthermore, Sierra Leone improved its credit information system by beginning to distribute both positive and negative data and by increasing the system s coverage rate. On the other hand, it made paying taxes more complicated for companies by introducing a capital gains tax. Areas of business regulatory reform: Getting electricity, Registering property, Getting credit (credit information), Paying taxes (making it more difficult) DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 140 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 140 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 54.6 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 52.8; improvement: 1.8 South Africa South Africa made enforcing contracts easier by amending the monetary jurisdiction of its lower courts and introducing voluntary mediation. However, it made access to credit information more difficult by introducing regulations requiring credit bureaus to remove negative credit information from their databases, such as adverse information on consumer behavior or enforcement action accumulated on a consumer s record before April 1, Areas of business regulatory reform: Enforcing contracts, Getting credit (credit information; making it more difficult) DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 43 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 37 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 71.1 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 71.6; improvement: 0.5 South Sudan DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 186 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 187 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 35.7 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 34.1; improvement: 1.6 Sudan DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 160 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 153 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 49.6 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 49.5; improvement: 0.1 Swaziland Swaziland made starting a business easier by shortening the notice and objection period for obtaining a new trade license. And it made paying taxes less costly for companies by reducing the corporate income tax rate. Areas of business regulatory reform: Starting a business, Paying taxes DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 110 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 111 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 59.8 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 59.3; improvement: 0.5 Tanzania Tanzania improved access to credit information by creating credit bureaus. And it made trading across borders easier by upgrading infrastructure at the port of Dar es Salaam. However, it made paying taxes more complicated for companies by introducing an excise tax on money transfers though it also made paying taxes less costly by reducing the rate of the skill and development levy.

10 Areas of business regulatory reform: Getting credit (credit information), Trading across borders, Paying taxes (making it more difficult) DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 131 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 130 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 56.4 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 55.8; improvement: 0.6 Togo Togo made starting a business easier by enabling the one-stop shop to publish notices of incorporation and eliminating the requirement to obtain an economic operator card. And it made transferring property easier by lowering the property registration tax rate. In addition, Togo strengthened minority investor protections by introducing greater requirements for disclosure of related-party transactions to the board of directors and by making it possible for shareholders to inspect the documents pertaining to related-party transactions and to appoint auditors to Furthermore, Togo made paying taxes less costly for companies by reducing the payroll tax rate. Areas of business regulatory reform: Starting a business, Registering property, Protecting minority investors, Paying taxes DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 149 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 164 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 51.3 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 47.0; improvement: 4.3 Uganda Uganda made trading across borders easier by implementing an electronic system ASYCUDA (Automated System for Customs Data) World for the submission of export and import documents. In addition, it made resolving insolvency easier by consolidating all provisions related to corporate insolvency in one law, establishing provisions on the administration of companies (reorganization), clarifying standards on the professional qualifications of insolvency practitioners, and introducing provisions allowing the avoidance of undervalued transactions. Areas of business regulatory reform: Trading across borders, Resolving insolvency DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 150 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 152 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 51.1 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 49.5; improvement: 1.6 Zambia In Zambia the credit bureau improved access to credit information by starting to exchange credit information with retailers and utilities. In addition, Zambia made paying taxes easier for companies by abolishing the medical levy and by introducing an online system for filing corporate income tax, value added tax, and some labor taxes though it also increased the property transfer tax rate. The increase in the property transfer tax rate also made transferring property more difficult. Areas of business regulatory reform: Getting credit (credit information), Paying taxes, Registering property (making it more difficult) DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 111 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 107 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 59.7 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 59.8; improvement: 0.2 Zimbabwe DB2015 ease of doing business rank: 171 DB2014 back-calculated ease of doing business rank: 172 DB2015 distance to frontier score: 47.0 DB2014 back-calculated distance to frontier score: 45.4; improvement: 1.6

11 About the Doing Business report series The annual World Bank Group flagship Doing Business report analyzes regulations that apply to an economy s businesses during their life cycle, including start-up and operations, trading across borders, paying taxes, and resolving insolvency. The aggregate ease of doing business rankings are based on the distance to frontier scores for 10 topics and cover 189 economies. Doing Business does not measure all aspects of the business environment that matter to firms and investors. For example, it does not measure the quality of fiscal management, other aspects of macroeconomic stability, the level of skills in the labor force, or the resilience of financial systems. Its findings have stimulated policy debates worldwide and enabled a growing body of research on how firm-level regulation relates to economic outcomes across economies. Each year the report team works to improve the methodology and to enhance their data collection, analysis and output. The project has benefited from feedback from many stakeholders over the years. With a key goal to provide an objective basis for understanding and improving the local regulatory environment for business around the world, the project goes through rigorous reviews to ensure its quality and effectiveness. This year s report marks the 12th edition of the global Doing Business report series. For more information about the Doing Business reports, please visit doingbusiness.org and join us on doingbusiness.org/facebook. About the World Bank Group The World Bank Group plays a key role in the global effort to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity. It consists of five institutions: the World Bank, including the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA); the International Finance Corporation (IFC); the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA); and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). Working together in more than 100 countries, these institutions provide financing, advice, and other solutions that enable countries to address the most urgent challenges of development. For more information, please visit and For more information on Doing Business 2015, please contact: Nadine Ghannam +1 (202) Hyun Kyong Lee +1 (202) nsghannam@ifc.org hlee9@worldbank.org Contacts for region-specific queries on Doing Business 2015: Sub-Saharan Africa Zibusiso M. Sibanda Aby K. Toure +1 (202) ZSibanda@ifc.org Akonate@worldbank.org